Canadian Truckers’ “Freedom Convoy”
Getty Images
On January 28, a group of Canadian truckers and their supporters started assembling in downtown Ottawa in protest of the vaccine mandate on the United States - Canada land borders and all other COVID-19 related regulations in the country.
Their cause quickly spread, causing a state of emergency in Ottawa and international economic dysfunction after many key border crossings closed.
Hundreds of trucks occupied downtown and certain residential areas of Ottawa in the height of these protests. Demonstrators camped out in Ottawa for over three weeks, and used signage, vehicle horns, and their overwhelming presence and power in numbers to spread their message.
The “Freedom Convoy” has lasted weeks, and the situation in Ottawa and across the country has escalated. Prime Minister Trudeau engaged the Emergencies Act in a historic first to provide police with more legal flexibility to remove trucks from downtown Ottawa.
On February 14, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government would be invoking the Emergencies Act in response to the dysfunction across the country’s borders. He clarified that he was not calling in the Armed Forces, or overriding the Charter. Trudeau also said Canadians’ freedom of expression and peaceful assembly is not being compromised.
Emergencies Act is a law passed in 1988 that allows the federal government additional, necessary powers in event of an emergency that threatens national security. This includes the power to declare public order emergencies where certain public demonstrations can be prohibited.
The Emergencies Act is currently being used to freeze participants’ bank accounts and legally requires every financial institution to assist the RCMP. When the act was announced, Ottawa Police were analyzing how exactly they could use the Act to progress action, and they had started by issuing warnings of criminal charges amongst protesters downtown.
On February 19, police moved in on protesters using force. The police retook Wellington Street and made 170 arrests. They removed up to 53 vehicles. Before police action, it is estimated that around 360 vehicles occupied the streets surrounding Parliament Hill.
Ottawa Police secured an area where they control traffic into the Parliament district. Almost 100 checkpoints exist for police to prevent more demonstrators from joining the now illegal protests.
Among the Convoy’s demands includes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation, the lifting of vaccine mandates within Canada and Canada-US border crossing, and provincial mask mandates.
Protestors gained major financial support through a GoFundMe page, with donations reaching 7.8 million dollars total before complaints reached GoFundMe. GoFundMe suspended the funds for violating the website’s terms of service, and gave full refunds to donors.
The self-proclaimed peaceful demonstration has put the City of Ottawa in a state of emergency. Complaints from Ottawa residents include 24/7 car horn honking, road blockades, business closures, and harassment.
The worst of the allegations: hate crimes. The Ottawa city police set up a hotline for hate crimes, assaults, and harassment related to the convoy. It reportedly received over 200 calls in the first week of February. Photos of vandalized Canadian flags with hand drawn swastikas, Nazi flags, and Conferderate flags that are associated with the Freedom Convoy have circled the internet.
Ottawa Police issued thousands of bylaw tickets, each up to $1000. These include enforcing tickets on horn-honking downtown according to an Ontario judge’s injunction.
In Windsor, Ontario, the busiest land border crossing in North America, the Ambassador Bridge, was closed for almost a week. This cripplied a key trade route connecting Windsor and Detroit. It reopened on February 14 after Windsor Police started arresting protesters on February 13, almost 30 people were arrested for criminal mischief. A judge had issued a warning to leave by 7pm on Friday February 11.
Similar incidents of public and border disturbances have occurred across the country. The Coutts border dividing Alberta and Montana has been blocked by semi trailers, trucks, and farming equipment. A similar situation occurred at the Canada-US border between Emerson, Manitoba and Pembina, North Dakota.
Four people were arrested by RCMP at the Pacific Highway border crossing in British Columbia for breaking through a police barricade. There were no injuries reported related to said incident.